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“We’re slowly nursing our drinks. Emily happens to be in an entirely different situation. She was so nervous this morning. You have no fucking clue. Lom made the mistake of telling her how many guests were actually going to be here today,” Amelia tells me with her eyebrows raised.
“How many?” I know it’s on the upward of four-hundred-something, but there’s no way it could be more than that, right?
“Almost six hundred,” Eset fills me in, and I’m at a loss for words. My eyes are wide, and I can’t believe what I just heard. Six hundred people here? Goodness. I didn’t realize how many people our family knew.
“Lom did tell her that he was going to throw her the biggest wedding Grozny has ever seen, but now it’s not even in Grozny.” Amelia chuckles.
“Nope, instead, he’s practically invited everyone in the city to our wedding,” Emily remarks as she takes another sip of her drink.
“I take it you don’t like being in front of a lot of people?” Emily’s never struck me as the type of woman who gets anxious in social situations, but I’ve never seen her in large group settings. At the most, it might have been twenty or so people.
“You’ve hit the nail right on the head. I can handle small groups of people, one-on-ones. I could do that in my sleep, but he invited everyone under the sun to our wedding, and I’ve been getting really nervous.” Emily shakes her head, obviously uncomfortable with how big of an event my brother turned this into. Sure, Emily planned out things like the food, location, and wedding colors, but Lom was the one who handled the guest list.
“Don’t be. It’s going to be an amazing day that you’re going to remember for the rest of your life. Um, did… did Lom tell you if your parents are coming?” I’m trying to distract Emily, but the second my question passes through my lips, I wish I hadn’t said anything. Amelia’s eyes dart right at me at the same time Emily’s do.
“I’m not sure, and I could honestly care less. I’m sure he invited them… but the last time we all spoke, we weren’t on good terms. They said some pretty unforgivable things to me. Things that I don’t know if I can move past.”
“Sorry, I brought it up. I was trying to distract you, and I guess I chose the wrong thing to switch the subject to.”
Emily begins laughing. “No, you did pretty well. Now I can think about everything I want to say to them if they have the nerve to actually show up here.”
“Good job with that one,” Mona whispers as she elbows me in the side. I guess Emily’s nervousness was pretty damn bad earlier today.
Chapter Three
Ambros
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been traveling in various parts of Russia to get work done. I started in Moscow, went to St. Petersburg after that, and then arrived in Sochi. I finished my Russian trek in Kaluga. Now I’m in a rural part of the Italian countryside for Lom Umarova’s wedding to Emily. I didn’t realize this at first, but Emily is the cousin of Ruslan’s wife, Amelia. What a small world it is.
I’ve rented a private château for a couple of days while I’m in Italy for the wedding, and then I’ll be heading to Rome for another job. You’d think I’d be able to relax while I’m here. That was the goal anyway, but my brother has made it a bit difficult to do.
Linus has been getting on me about coming home and speaking with our father, but I will continue to use my work as an excuse for as long as I can. I know the moment I see my father, we’re going to have a major confrontation. There’s no other alternative. He’s been pushing my buttons too much for far too long.
Linus has a way of being patient with our father, but I believe that has a lot to do with Linus being younger. He isn’t forced to make the same decisions as I am or even pressured to live up to exacting expectations. Since I’m the oldest, things are very different for me. A lot of the time, he ends up being a mediator for my father and me. Nothing makes me more frustrated than my father using my brother as a way to cool things down between us.
Luckily, I won’t have to worry about my father while enjoying my time here in Italy. I highly doubt he or my brother will attend, which means I’ll get a much-needed break from them as long as I turn my phone off. I love my brother, but God, he can be aggravating. A lot of times, it feels like he’s my father’s champion. I think Linus needs to get away from the family business and do something for himself. He’d be a lot happier if he did that, and then I wouldn’t be so frustrated with him. Sometimes, I worry I’m going to lose my relationship with my brother because of him constantly stepping in between me and our father.
For fuck’s sake. I’m in Italy. I need to not think about my family bullshit while I’m here and have a good time instead.
I’ve already pulled up to the property where the wedding is, and their valet parked my car. There are numerous event staff members walking around the space, showing everyone where they need to be. The staffers are in full, head-to-toe black outfits. All the women have their hair tied back in tight buns, and the men look rather clean-cut as well. Every single one of them has a smile plastered across their face, and you’d naturally assume they love their job.
The staffers are escorting everyone from around the villa to the back. The villa is made up of old cobblestone, and the pavers we’re walking on look like they’ve lasted through years of use as well. We continue heading down the path until we’re walking down a paved hill, and we’re taken to another building on the property. It looks newer than the villa we just walked past, but it seems like the owners of the property put a lot of thought into making sure it aesthetically matched the main villa.
At least sixteen-foot-high doors sit where attendees can walk inside, but the doors are wide open, allowing for an indoor-outdoor open concept. It reminds me of my home in Mykonos. I walk into the building, and a lot of guests are already there. A bar sits at the far side of the room, so I stand in line to get a much-needed drink. With my brother nagging me about our father, I need a little something extra to help me relax.
I stand in line for about ten minutes while the people in front of me are taken care of. While I wait, I look around the room and people watch. The best of the best are here. Diamonds hang from around women’s necks, their dresses are no doubt designer, and the men walking around are in thousand-dollar suits. I guarantee this is a mixture of family, friends, and criminal underworld connections.
“Sir, what can I get for you?” a man behind the bar asks me as the person ahead of me takes their drinks and walks away.
“Do you have Metaxa?” It’s a Greek drink, but if I’m lucky, I might be able to get some here. The Umarovas no doubt requested liquors from around the world, given the people they invited were probably from many different areas.
“Give me a moment to check.” He walks back and begins opening cupboard drawers. After a couple of minutes, he finds a fresh bottle, tears open the seal, and walks back over to me. “Would you like that on the rocks?”
“Yes, please.”
He puts three ice cubes in a glass and pours the Metaxa over it. Metaxa, a Greek drink made from brandy, is created from a wide variety of grapes, a combination of plants, and Muscat wines from Samos.
“Here you are.” He hands me my glass, and I pass him some cash for a tip. I then make my way out of the building and walk back onto the property grounds.
